(I work for a company that stores and processes information for certain Medicaid plans. One of the plans is in New Mexico. We use the United States Postal Service website to verify members’ addresses that are not showing valid in our systems. A coworker is asking me a question about our New Mexico plan.)

Me: “All right, so their address isn’t valid in the system. You’ll need to look it up online to see what it should be.”

(When my young son has mostly weaned himself from nursing, I go to a well-known lingerie shop for a bra fitting and some bras in my new, post-baby size. This happens at checkout…)

Cashier: “Did you find everything you were looking for today?”

Me: “Yes, I’m thrilled to finally have bras that fit right again! I’ve been in nursing bras for almost two years, but now my baby is almost weaned, and this is a real treat.”

Cashier:*huffs and looks down her nose at me* “Well. I bet you’re never going to make THAT mistake again.”

(I was stunned and we finished the transaction in silence. And of course, it’s not until I’ve exited the store that I think of a good comeback. I’m still dying to find out whether she thinks that babies are mistakes, or that breastfeeding is.)

(This was back when I was searching for a job. I’d signed up to a job seeking site and as a result a company had called me offering an interview for a position. I got past the initial interview process and was offered a chance to shadow a team the next day with a promise of a final interview at the end of the day if I’m interested in joining up.)

Supervisor: “Hey, [My Name]! You may not remember me. We both worked on [university radio station] a few years ago. As soon as I saw your name I knew I wanted you to follow my team.”

(I’d seen him maybe twice while I volunteered at my university’s station and his enthusiasm was a bit creepy but I dismissed it.)

Supervisor: “Right! Time to get on the bus!”

(I’m a little confused as I wasn’t 100% on what the position was but I’d been led to believe it was office based and wondered why we were getting on a bus but thought it best just to go with it for now.)

Supervisor:*as he points out which bus we need to get* “You may want to invest in a bus pass. You’ll be getting a lot of buses for this job but today, a day ticket will do.”

(So we all follow him on and after being on the bus for about ten minutes.)

Supervisor: “Oh, s***! We got the wrong bus! We were supposed to turn down that street! Quick press the button! Press the button!”

(We all pile off and start to head back the way the bus had come.)

Me: *noticing that I’m the only one wearing non-flat shoes* “Well how long are we going to have to walk? Not too long, I hope.”

Supervisor: “Two minutes tops.”

(Twenty minutes later we arrive at a small local shopping-centre where the most high-end shop is a pound store.)

Supervisor:*when we get to an empty kiosk area* “All right, team! To work!”

Me: “So, what am I supposed to do?”

Supervisor: “Watch the magic happen.”

(So I sit there for approximately four hours watching this group of five people try and sign up strangers to give a weekly donation via direct debit to the charity du jour and if they sign someone up, they tell the supervisor who puts a tick next to their name on a tally sheet. They’re allowed to take a five minute toilet break every couple hours but they’re staggered, except the supervisor, who disappears for half an hour and comes back with a sandwich.)

Supervisor: “Right, [My Name], it’s time to hear about your career prospects.”

Me: “What about the others?”

Supervisor: “What about them?”

Me: “Don’t they have to get their sign ups verified by you?”

Supervisor: “Oh, they won’t sign anyone up.”

(He then spends about half an hour explaining how, within a year of starting with them, I could become a manager like he will in about a month’s time. When we come back, he encourages me to talk to his team before coming to him with my final verdict.)

Supervisor:*at the end* “So, what do you think? Ready to go for that final interview?”

Me: “No.”

Supervisor: “Don’t be nervous. I think you’re a real contender. You’ve got the right attitude.”

Me: “I mean I’m not interested in working with your company.”

Supervisor: “What?! Why?!”

Me: “You said that if I’m successful I’m expected to start tomorrow morning. No time to seriously consider whether or not this is the right job for me. Second, you had no idea where we were going this morning, and I have blisters because you told us to get on the wrong bus. Your attitude towards your potential customers is completely wrong—”

Supervisor: “It is not!”

Me: “One of your team chased an old lady, who said she wasn’t interested in hearing his talk, to try and force her to listen.”

Supervisor: “Which one? I can fire him.”

Me: “I don’t blame him. Not when you’ve all told me that if you don’t sign people up you don’t get paid.”

Supervisor: “It makes our staff motivated.”

Me: “No, it makes them shell out for travel and give up their time to you for nothing. Do you realise that [Team Member #1] has been working for you for over a week and spent £20 (~$28) on travel but not earned a single penny back.”

Supervisor: “She’s new; she’s not in the swing of it yet. Did you ask [Team Member #2] what he earns? Much better indicator of the job.”

Me: “There’s also the fact that nobody gets a lunch break, which I’m pretty sure is illegal.”

Supervisor: “They can eat and work!”

Me: “Not if you aren’t paying them. Look, I really need a reliable income where I’m working 40+ hours a week and I know I’m getting money that is worth my time. Time which is honestly better spent looking for better jobs than this one. I’m not going for that interview. Not even if you pay me, which I doubt you will. Goodbye.”

Supervisor:*as I walk away* “Yeah, well, I didn’t think you were a good fit for this company anyway!”

(I ran into the ‘new girl’ a couple weeks later, working with a different team. Apparently higher-ups found out about them not getting breaks, and the supervisor’s team was disbanded and reassigned. And despite working for them for three weeks and spending over £60 (~$85) on travel to work for these guys, she still hadn’t earned any money.)

(My friend and I have been living in the city for a few short weeks and right now we’re in an area that we absolutely don’t know, looking for a particular store. Note that this happened before everyone got Google Maps on their phones. We take a bus which doesn’t drop us off where we expect, and then we get lost.)

My Friend: “Which is this street?”

Me: “[Street], according to that sign, but why do you need it? You’re as lost here as I am.”

My Friend: “I’ll be calling a cab.”

Me: “Are you mad? We can’t afford a cab.”

My Friend: “I can pay for it, and I’m really sick of walking around. We’ll get a cab to the store and then we’ll figure our way back from there.”

(I agree, so she calls a cab. This particular service takes your number, your location, and your destination, and then the driver calls in a few minutes to tell you when he/she will be there. So we wait about 20 minutes and are a bit frustrated when someone finally calls us.)

Caller: “Hello, I hear you want to go to [Address]?”

My Friend: “That’s right.”

Caller: “Where are you now exactly?”

My Friend: “Uuuh, it’s [Street], right next to a kindergarten…”

Caller: “What? I’m not wasting any fuel on you; you can walk to your destination in about 15 minutes!” *hangs up*

(To say we were dumbfounded would be an understatement. We did find the store on our own. It was a whole hour’s walk. And they say cab drivers know the city perfectly…)